Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Cleaning shoes has been a challenge for humans since we first covered our feet. White shoes are a particular problem, especially in the summer months when people are active. White shoes are made from a variety of materials and your cleaning method will depend on what material your shoes are made from. In this wikiHow we'll examine the culture of shoe cleaning, and cobble together some advice for those who prefer not to buy new shoes every three months.

Steps

Rubber Shoes

·If your shoes arenotmade of leather, follow these steps. Warning: Don't do this with leather shoes or they will be ruined!

1.Assess the damage to your shoes. Are they muddy? Scuffed? Or just lightly soiled?

2.Get a good cloth and wrap around it around your hands like brass knuckles. use this to scrub away obvious dirt, mud and grime.

3.Wash the cloth with a liberal amount of soap. Rub the soap all over the white part of the shoes.

1.Clean canvas shoes by spot washing using a mild detergent and soft toothbrush.

2.Once clean, consider spraying canvas shoes with a "Scotchguard" type fabric protector. Test the spray on the tongue of the shoe to make sure it won't stain.

Machine washing

·Some people wash their shoes in the washing machine. There are a few tips to remember:

1.Remove the laces and any other removable parts.

2.Use the warm, not hot, cycle.

3.Add regular detergent.

4.Either place the shoes in a bag with towels to protect your washing machine or just dump them in with a load.

5.Do not use the dryer as this will probably melt your shoes, destroy your dryer, or both. If you feel you must use the dryer use a very low heat and a protective bag.

6.Let the shoes air dry or use paper towels.

7.Note: even if the shoe is machine washable multiple washes can break down the adhesive that holds the shoe together.

Clean smooth white leather shoes

·Cleaning leather shoes is considerably more complicated. Leather is skin, and so most methods that clean skin will also clean leather. To complicate matters there are a vast set of choices in commercial leather cleaning products. Proper care for leather shoes involves more than cleaning, but also protecting and polishing the leather. To clean leather properly, determine which type of leather you have. The instructions here are forsmooth leather.

Clean smooth leather with soaps.

1.Use a soft cloth to remove obvious dirt and dust from the surface of the shoe.

2.Remove the laces.

3.Rinse the shoes with warm, not hot, water, inside and out.

4.Prepare a solution of warm water and a 'natural soap'. Common soaps for cleaning shoes include:

oSaddle soapis the most common choice.

oLiquid detergentlike dish-washing liquid.

oRegular hand soap.

5.Use a soft brush and scrub every part of the shoe with the soap mixture.

oDo not scrub too hard or your could damage the surface of the leather.

oRemove scuff marks with a nylon backed brush, or wait until the conditioner is applied.

6.Rinse the shoes in warm water again, both inside and out.

7.Stuff your shoes with paper towels. The paper will absorb the water and make the drying process go faster.

oReplace the paper when it gets water logged.

oDo not use newspaper as the black ink can run and ruin your shoes.

oStuffing your shoes with paper also helps them hold their shape as they dry.

8.Allow your shoes to drip dry.

Clean your shoes with commercial products

·Shoe cleaners come in gels, foams, sprays, liquids and creams. You can also use leather cleaning products designed for car seats.

1.Put your shoes and all materials on top of several layers of newspaper before you begin.

2.Remove any laces.

3.If your leather shoes have a lot of old polish buildup, you may want to use a pre-cleaner.

4.Read the directions on your leather cleaner.

5.Many leather cleaners come with an applicator top, or you can use a soft shoe brush.

6.Use the brush to rub the cleaner into any cracks and seams.

7.Remove the cleaner based on the packet instructions.

Leather shoe products

There are many products on the market for cleaning leather shoes. Leather is leather, so any leather cleaner, be it for jackets or car seats, will also clean your leather shoes.

Shoe wipes can be bought all over and are great for spot cleaning. Some people also use Baby Wipes.

A Clorox Bleach Pen is used by many to spot clean white shoes, especially in seams and in stitching.

Clean-n-Brite is also used by many to safely clean white leather. You can visit website, there is a page about cleaning leather.

KIWI Sport Shoe Scrub-Off Heavy Duty Cleaner has good results.

A Magic Eraser, which you can buy in any art store, has also had good results in spot cleaning shoes.

Permatex DL Hand Cleaner is a product for cleaning skin that works well on almost all leather. You can find this product in hardware stores.

Goo Gone is an excellent cleaner, also often found in hardware stores. Follow the dilution directions on the packet and eventually Goo Gone will remove just about anything.

Goop waterless hand cleaner is another excellent hand cleaning product used by contractors to remove the harshest dirt from skin and as such is also a great leather cleaner. Goop also removes stubborn stains that other products may not reach, and thus is a good first treatment for very dirty shoes.